Members of Congress who are dilly-dallying on passing funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which is wreaking havoc on airports across the country, just got a rude awakening from Delta Air Lines. The popular airline has decided to yank its VIP services for members of Congress who fly Delta, in an attempt to provide extra motivation for elected officials to get to work and end the DHS shutdown.
A company spokesperson gave a statement to FOX Business saying, “Due to the impact on resources from the long-standing government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta. Next to safety, Delta’s no. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment.”
For quite some time, Delta has provided priority VIP service to congressional members, allowing them to breeze through Transportation Security Administration lines and escorting them directly to their gates. However, that’s all coming to an end until the shutdown is resolved. Members of Congress will now be treated like any other passengers based on their SkyMiles status.
According to FOX Business, all of the traveler frustrations, chaos, and absurdly long wait times through the first weekend of the spring travel season have led to Delta’s bottom line taking a severe beating. The company’s headquarters is located in Atlanta, Georgia, near the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the busiest in the world. The shutdown has led to some TSA security lines at the airport taking nine hours to get through.
“Due to current federal conditions, passengers are advised to allow at least 4 hours or more for domestic and international screenings,” an online advisory said on March 24, 2026. Delta, along with several other airlines, has been sounding the alarm about the shutdown leading to worsening airport disruptions, especially as unpaid TSA workers, who are still showing up to do their job despite not receiving their paychecks, continue to experience increasing financial pressure.
On March 23, 2026, President Donald Trump decided to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to provide support and assistance for TSA agents at various airports around the United States. The FOX Business report revealed that once ICE agents showed up in Atlanta, the long security lines had mostly been resolved.
Last week, the Senate unanimously approved a proposal from Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) that would eliminate special airport privileges for members of Congress, stating it symbolizes the gap between the public and elected officials who are supposed to serve them. The bill still needs to pass through the House and be signed by the president before it becomes law.
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“We’ve had DHS shut down for 38 days,” Sen. John Kennedy said during an interview with Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” on Tuesday morning. “I think, the Democrats at one point voted to fund DHS and then they backtracked. We’ve been debating the SAVE Act for, I don’t know, 10 days. I guess we’re stuck. I’m a big believer that when you’re stuck, you ought to try to plow around the stump, not through it.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video